The Ukrainian leader is turning to Brussels having alienated himself from the US president for the foreseeable future
Vladimir Zelensky has put the pressure on his European backers by joining the second day of an EU summit in Brussels, in the week he chose to lash out at US President Donald Trump, and as European leaders grapple with soaring energy bills and the prospect of a difficult winter.
The gathered EU leaders will unlikely welcome having been effectively cornered into backing Zelensky’s “forever war” policy while attempting to secure ongoing US support in a week that protests and national strikes over pay and public services intensified across the continent.
The falling-out began last week when Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release additional Russian diesel onto global markets and ease sanctions in an attempt to bring down fuel prices. He also pressed Kiev to stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure.
- Zelensky rejected the arrangement, saying he felt “betrayed” by Trump and called the US president’s decision “weak.”
- Trump then called for Ukraine to get a “new president,” and questioned Zelensky’s willingness to reach a settlement with Moscow.
- Zelensky announced continued refinery attacks and complained of restrictions on American intelligence support and Starlink services.
- On Thursday, Kiev hit a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan Region, despite Washington’s clearly expressed expectations and objections.
- Trump called the attacks a “disgrace” and accused Zelensky of “driving up fuel prices for everyone.”
- On Thursday night, after Zelensky arrived in Brussels, Trump went hard in an interview with Newsmax. “He says he wants to settle, but he doesn’t,” Trump said, adding that Zelensky was harder to deal with than Putin. He also alleged that US missiles supplied to Kiev had been sold on the “open market.”
- Washington also announced it would prioritize its own munitions stocks over others. “Once we are really stocked, we will start letting our allies buy them from us,” Trump said.
EU leaders are likely to try to bridge the deep divide on stealing Russian sovereign assets held in Belgium. German Chancellor Friederich Merz, despite no popularity at home, is seeking to force Belgium’s Bart de Wever into a move. Merz outright dismissed a US proposal to integrate the billions in sovereign Russian assets into a peace formula.
Follow our live updates as a drama unfolds in an attempt to refill the Ukrainian begging bowl.